High-flying Akhtar fined over Hayden send-off

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Shoaib Akhtar rarely fails to live up to his various
reputations, as speeding menace, lair and partner of
controversy.

And sure enough, Akhtar finished the second day of the first
Test with five Australian wickets beside his name as evidence of
his speed and menace, and an appointment with match referee Ranjan
Madugalle. Last night, he was fined 40 per cent of his match fee -
costing him an estimated $5000 - for his exuberant send-off of
Matthew Hayden on the first morning of the Test. For good measure,
Akhtar threw in an injury drama, stopping and clutching at his
ankle during his second over at the Australians last night, the
last before stumps, limping from the ground and tossing his boot
into the dressing room. Team officials said later that he had
merely torn some skin on his ankle and would be fit to bowl
today.

Akhtar has a long and colourful history of on-field
misdemeanours, which could have counted against him when he was
hauled before Madugalle.

During the third over of the match, the show pony in Akhtar got
the better of him after he swung a brilliant ball in at Hayden's
pads, and had the dangerous Australian opener out for four.

Akhtar and Hayden share a volatile past, and this time Akhtar
twice thrust his arms towards the dressing room and suggested that
Hayden should head in that direction.

Akhtar was charged with a level one breach of the ICC code of
conduct, for "pointing or gesturing towards the pavilion in an
aggressive manner . . . upon the dismissal of a batsman".

"I was telling him to go away," Akhtar said afterwards,
suggesting that his raging emotions had spontaneously erupted. "It
was just something that happens. You don't mean it intentionally.
The gesture just happens. He hit me for four. I got him out. We are
even."

Things quite often just happen to Akhtar, for he was banned in
2002 for throwing a water bottle at a spectator during a tour of
Zimbabwe, banned for two one-day matches and fined 75 per cent of
his match fee in May last year for ball tampering, and later in
2003 was suspended for a Test for sledging South Africa's Paul
Adams in Lahore. He is, as always, flying close to the wind.

He bowled like the wind at Australia and yesterday completed his
10th five-wicket haul in Tests with the wickets of Michael
Kasprowicz, leg before wicket, and Jason Gillespie, caught behind,
to add to Hayden's and those of middle-order pair Michael Clarke
and Darren Lehmann.

Clarke will not forget in a hurry the ball that rushed into his
gloves, in front of his face, with which the world's fastest bowler
introduced himself to the gifted young Australian on Thursday.

Indeed, Akhtar did the damage Australia always knew he was
capable of, even in his characteristic short spells, and after two
days is only one wicket away from equalling his haul from three
Tests in Australia five years ago. He bowled 22 overs and took
5-99, and most of his wickets were celebrated by replicating an
airplane and careering down the ground in the manner of a
goalscoring soccer player.

It was the irrepressible lair coming through, which makes Akhtar
such an alluring cricketer.